After a video circulated online showing a passenger allegedly assaulting the pilot on a Delhi-Goa flight, another passenger who witnessed the incident explained what happened. The second passenger, speaking to CNN-News18, revealed that the IndiGo flight had experienced a prolonged delay, which led to the angry passenger's actions.
According to the fellow passenger, the pilot blamed the delay on the passengers, stating that their numerous questions caused them to miss their turn, resulting in a wait for the next one. The passenger argued that the pilot was at fault for attributing the delay to the passengers.
The incident occurred when a passenger named Sahil Kataria ran up to the flight’s co-captain, Anup Kumar, and slapped him during an announcement, as shown in a viral video on social media.
IndiGo promptly filed a complaint against the passenger, accusing him of physically assaulting the co-pilot. The airline established an internal committee to take appropriate action, including considering the passenger for inclusion in the 'no-fly list.' IndiGo handed the unruly passenger over to local law enforcement for further action.
The co-pilot, Anup Kumar, had reportedly replaced the previous crew due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms after a significant delay.
On January 14, 2024, during the announcement of a flight delay by the first officer of flight 6E2175, a passenger assaulted the first officer. Following protocol, the passenger was declared unruly and handed over to local law enforcement. The incident is under review by an independent internal committee, and the airline may include the passenger on the 'no-fly list' as per regulatory guidelines, according to a statement by IndiGo.
In the video shared on social media, a passenger in a yellow hoodie can be seen running up to the pilot and hitting him in anger while he was making a delay announcement.
The airline cited low visibility and dense fog conditions across North India as factors impacting flight operations in a statement.
